I'm Tellin' Ya when it Rains it Pores

Last night I came home to find the bag of Denture Sticks ripped open, culprit; the white cat Colours. However once open the dogs had a feast. I suspect Molly had the most based on today. Molly slept with me last night and when I woke up I found bits of vomit and pee on my carpet. A little while later I realized that Molly was very sick. She had clearly eaten to much of a good thing and it was not sitting with her right. I called my grandma for advise, for all her faults when it comes to animals she's a wealth of knowledge. Her advise: Metamucil original, spoon it into her mouth and watch it work it's magic.

Do you know how difficult to get and expensive Metamucil is!

I'm standing in Lowblaws and they have berry flavour, citrus flavour and jumbo size. The highest cost going at  $25.99! CRAZY! And then there was the different kinds or variety, synthetic, natural, organic. I had to talk to pharmacist because I had no idea what the different kinds were. Turns out the stuff I wanted in a decent size and price was behind the counter! Its like they hide the reasonable stuff in an attempt to sell the over prised stuff.  *Light bulb* I bet that's exactly what they do!

It did the trick but let me tell you it wasn't pretty. I spent most of the morning and early afternoon cleaning up surprises.  

On top of that I tried another of Grandma's tips. To cure urinary track infections cook barley and feed the barley to the animal or drain the water off and provide the water for drinking. I am not sure how long I have to feed it to the cat (have to make another call to Grandma) but it went down well the first time. 

On a more positive side I got some christmas shopping done. But I am worried I am going though the money really fast I blew though 300$ today like it was nothing! And I still have to get my sister covered and my brother! My $800 is down to less then 1/2 *gulp.*

I did get my Secret Santa card and gift out. I really hope my Secret Santa gift doesn't get repossessed stolen in customs.   

I WOULD LOVE TO WIN 500 DOLLARS !!

WOULD YOU??


 “the $500 Give Me Back My Five Bucks competition, sponsored by Life Insurance Finder, the life insurance experts”.


My financial bucket list  includes:
1) Pay for the damages to my car from my accident (1100 to date)
2) Pay down my OSAP so that its at or under $5,000 by the end of this year and have it done by the end of may 2012 so I can focus on the $25,000 student Line of Credit
3) start my braces fund $3500 since I will be getting braces January 2012.

Weekly Spending Re-cap Nov 14-27th

November 14

No Spend Day


November 15


$23.98~ movie tickets for Twilight 


November 16


$5.18~ Shoppers for Shampoo


$1.49~ Loblaws for a box of tea 


$55.37~ Loblaws Joe fresh *hockey related 


$76.28~ Newson’s *Hockey related


November 17


$5.99~ Metro box of tea 


$48.58~ cat food


November 18


$78~ Deal find (Xmas gift)


November 19


No Spend Day 


November 20 


$27.32~ Wal-mart 2 new tires (exchange) *accident expense


$181~ CAA membership renewal *accident expense 


$11.29~ Swiss chalet food

 
November 21

 
No Spend Day


November 22

 
No Spend Day

 
November 23 


No Spend Day 


November 24 


$2.75~ food 


$20.14~ gas for mom’s car 

$90~ new tire *accident related


November 25 


No Spend Day 


November 26 


No Spend Day 


November 27

No Spend Day

Why CAA is WORTH EVERY PENNY!!

Disclaimer: I am not being paid for this article I am not getting any kick backs, this has been my experience and the views expressed are my own.

Tomorrow at 7:30 am it will be 1 week since I had my collision. As it stands my car has been in the shop almost 1 full week and in that time frame the flowing has been replaced or done to my car:

1)     3 new tires

2)     2 new rims

3)     1 new radiator

4)     1 new searing belt

5)     Front passengers wheel support straitened out

6)     Straightening out of the rad hose (might still need to be replaced)

7)     Wheel support welded together

8)     Complete realignment

After all the above has been done and the alignment results come back it will dictate if the car is safe again or if more work is needed.

At the time of my collision I though I had only broken 1 tire and a rim, I quickly discovered that I had two tires busted. It was not unit I was able to move the car off the golf course it was on, did realise that the radiator was leaking. And once I got it to the mechanic’s,  I realise the full extend of the damage that had happened. 

For a good 45 min I was stranded on the Green while I waited for my dad to come with a board to provide a base for the jack as the grass was too soft. In that time frame more then 20 cars drove by me. In fact one car even called the police stating a stolen car had been left on the Golf Course. But NO ONE STOPED. Not one person who passed and gocked at me stopped to ask if I was A) ok or B) needed help.

Now I am very lucky that I was not heart in anyway, had I been I very well would have been in worse shape as a result of waiting for assistance.

It quickly  became clear that with the leaking rad and a flat back tire the only thing I was going to be able to do was get the car off the Green and limp drive it slowly home. Lucky I live 5 mins away from where the collision happened. I still had the issue of getting it to the mechanic’s a full 30 min away. I called CAA. No questions asked no paper work to sign the guy came with the tow truck and even offered to give me a lift along the way. He dropped off the car and off he went. I never saw a bill nor was I even asked how I was going to pay for it.

Had I not had my dad to help me out I could have called CAA to help me fix the flat tires originally. In fact noticing that the back passenger’s tire was flat before even hocking the car to be towed, the tow man brought out his portable air machine and pumped the tire up “don’t need to cause any more damage” he commented. 

I have had my car less then 6 months and my CAA membership for 11. Within that short time frame I have used them twice. Last Sunday and this past summer to unlock a friend’s car; she had locked her keys in and herself out. I have not paid a dime nor has my use of the coverage ever been quested. Every time I have called in and I admit it’s only twice they have been friendly, understanding and very accommodating. CAA also has a system where they will text your cell phone to keep you up-to-date on when the tow truck or assistance will be arriving.

I knew having CAA was important but it truly did not hit home until last Sunday. Another great thing is that CAA while Canada wide has partnered with AAA (American Automotive Association) to help members who are traveling across the border.  You can stop in and flash your car to get free maps or local expert advice. Something my BF and I used on our crazy 5 state DC trip this past summer. They offer insurance from personal to pet and discounts at stores and hotels. Honestly I don’t think I will ever use every service they offer. But having this magic little card is worth the $180 I paid for my BF and mine. As a society we seam to have no problem forking over thousands of dollars each year to expensive trips, cars and other items, yet bulk at spending only a few hundred for the ‘just in case or what if’ times in our life.

I strongly recommend, encourage, force your hand to get CAA or its equivalent in your home country (Canada, USA, Britain, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Southern India, Australia, and the list goes on and on…)

Do you have a cat?

I have three cats. And one of them (I think) keeps peeing in my room on my cloths. The litter box is in my room so I can't make heads or tails of the situation. What I am most concerned  about is that the cat has a urinary track infection and ignoring it is the worst thing possible. But am I jumping to conclusions, has anyone deal with this before? My cat has been doing its on and off of a couple of months and every time seams to be different. When I researched it the article I read said that you had to treat every incident as an isolated event due to a different reason. But it happened yesterday and again today.  So I am wondering if I am ignoring a larger problem.

What do you think?

PS: Happy Thanksgiving!

Life Has Its Up's and Down's

I am so sorry I have been MIA. Life has been an expensive mess, toped off with Sunday. I am hoping that once I have finished paying for what happened on Sunday things will start to settle back in an uneventful life. I had actually written a post on Saturday but forgot to post it before I left to go to a Christmas party.

Yesterday was a write off for me as I was in an car accident.  I am fine but the car not so much. I blow a tire and lost control of the car drove it over the median and than over curb onto a golf course between hole 8 and 9. I busted 3 tires and 2 rims. I destroyed one of the caps on the radiator and now have to get a new radiator. I need an alignment and what ever else needs to be straitened out. All and all $900 starting. Now the thing is really the car isn't worth the money but I don't have $5,000 to go out and get another one and I do have $1,000 to fix this one. So that's what I am going to do.

My BF hadn't had a chance to pay for our annual CAA membership and he didn't have the money. So I paid for it on my visa $189. Between that and hockey last week my visa is maxed out... well at least to high for me to be conferrable!

They say things happen in 3's; with all the craziness that was yesterday I paid my LoC twice and have left myself short for my insurance payment.  While I have money and can make up the shortfall with out dipping into my  EF I am totally frustrated with myself. In the long run it will all workout but in the short term I am completely tapped out. 

Weekly Spending Recap October 31- November 13 2011

 I didn't get a chance to do a spending recap last week so I am getting caught up.

October 31
NO Spend Day
November 1
$18.04~ Cat litter

$125~ Heart and Stroke Calendars

$25~ Heart and Stroke Calendars
November 2
No Spend Day
November 3
NO Spend Day
November 4
No Spend Day
November 5
No Spend Day
November 6
No Spend Day
November 7
$26.30~ Gas
$49.49~Gas
$24.95~ Gas
November 8
$15.72~ shoppers Drug mart
$3.37~ Shoppers Drug mart
November 9
$3.94~ Anti-freeze windshield washer
November 10
No Spend Day
November 11
No Spend Day
November 12
No Spend Day
November 13
 No Spend Day


*My Spending looks so much better in a by-weekly format then it does in a weekly format. However not  doing the weekly spending recap is pure laziness on my part so I'll stick to weekly. 

Blogging Anniversary

Yesterday was my blogging anniversary. But to be honest it was over showed by more important things yesterday. I am ok with that. November 11th is... well I have no words to explain how I feel about the day. There is so much we have to be thankful for and there are no words to express how thankful I am for what every person did to help in the war efforts.

Hopefully there will be many more to come, along with big changes (when I get around to it)

Monthly Goals

This past month and I think the month before I have been feeling very down with life. I am not sure exactly why though I feel as though I have been stuck in a rut. My money and debt repayment hasn't dropped, I’m not by nature an emotional spender but my enthusiasm for it has drastically declined. So has my desire to get things done. As a result of the funk I seam to be in my blogging has declined. Don't worry I'm not dropping of the planet or anything. I'm still reading and cheering you all on form the sidelines, my posting has been sluggish. Any ways I have decided not to set any goals this months so that when I recap and have got very few done I'm not as depressed.

October goals:

 
1) Mail Funeral CD (NOT DONE)
- find address
-mail CD


2) Catalogue books just put on shelf (NOT DONE)

3) Sort out more books to go to Thia's (DONE)


4) Do 6 pages in scrapbook (NOT DONE)


5) Sort out OSAP, LoC and budgets (DONE)


6) change backing accounts around and sign paper work ( DONE)


7) Get Hardy Boy's and Nancy Drew books to friend (DONE)


-call friend to set up get together

living in the Cool!

Its currently 65F in my house and I can't get the heat to turn on for some reason. So I have a blanket over my legs and a thick sweater. I just yanked the filter which needs to be replaced so hopefully without that blocking the air it will start to rise! Sarah says: rise air rise blow me over with HOT HOT AIR!!

There are lots of things I should be doing now but I am watching Independence Day a great movie! It just occurred to me that we own a 40' TV screen and I'm watching it on a 29' so next commercial I'm moving down stars. Large screen ~ I'm LOVIN' IT..... although I have a snug a bug cat on my lap!

In over news work has placed a back out period over any person booking vacation January and February. Which kills my hope of getting reading week off which means that Texas is out of the question, my road trip is shoot.  :(   I now have no idea what vacation I will book, I mean what's the point of going to a hot country in the middle of JULY! Arg! I am really upset but you know the part that gets me the most is I can't even book weekends off! WHY you ask? beets the heck out of me! But of course the Big Bank does its scheduling in India so no one is responsible or has the power to change anything! Arg... if only I wasn't in debt! Yup you heard it right debt keeps me tied to a job that tries hard to dictate my life, and the options out there are limited.

Ok enough of a rant on my end...

Life has its positive aspects. I need to focus on  the positive a little more.

Oh I promised Little Lamb I would spread the word about helping families! Carla's Half Dozen Daily is looking to raise money to buy farm animals. I actually have already done it! I bought my Grandma 3 agricultural packs for families to start farming from World Vision.  I have been debating about actually buying another one for my BF's parents. I am  big fan of this kind of charity its a tangible thing and it helps families for generations. As the old saying goes: give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach the man how to fish feed him for life!

So please help if you can help, if not pass the message on!

October OSAP Update

Since October has come and gone it's time to update my progress on my OSAP. I mentioned a while back that I was going to liquidate the mutual fund I had and put the money back into my OSAP. I did that this month so the numbers will reflect that.

September's  balance on OSAP:

October 3~ $1,023.57
October 6~ $158.09
October 6~ $38.17
October 21~ $555.00
October 24~ $14.75

Amount paid after interested added: $1,789.58-34.10= $1,755.48
Daily interest for the month of October: $1.10
Total  monthly interest: $ 34.10

Current outstanding balance on OSAP: $7,712.67

Current $15,000 extra fund stands at $8,290.10+1,755.48= 10,045.58


time to up date the side bars!

Murphy Must GO!!!

Today is my day off which means that its the day of running around. One of the tasks was cleaning the cat litters. For three cats (Max, Salem and Colours) we have 2 litters. One in my room and the other one is in mom's bathroom. So I got both litters emptied and when I went to fill them back up I realized I didn't have enough litter for both litters. Enter Murphy!! Let me tell you 3 cats and only 1 litter, THIS IS A TRUE EMERGENCY!!! As it was I was planing on changing up the cat litter. The stuff I previously had was to dusty; when the cat sneezes you know its dusty!!  As well the previous litter was cheep but not all that effective in odour control. Trust me something that is important when the litter is in my bedroom. Do you know were this is going... you guessed it... I went out and bought cat litter today.  You can scold me all you want but I'll have it paid off by pay day any ways. And I am not willing to go without 1 litter box just for the sake of 19$.

However I would like to ask Murphy to kindly step out!